Wal-Mart cheaper than Target in cosmetics

I was just reading an article about Wal-Mart and Target. The cheap store versus the hip cheap store and I thought about my own observations on cosmetics prices in both shops.

While it is undeniable that Target is a more exciting shop with better merchandise, more space and more stylish shoppers, in cosmetics Wal-Mart tends to be cheaper. I have compared many items and most of the time Wal-Mart is cheaper.

However Wal-Mart is not always the cheapest choice for cosmetics. Unfortunately Rite Aid acquired Brooks pharmacy, because when on sale a lot of cosmetics were a lot cheaper in Brooks than in most places. For example, the hair color I use, Garnier Nutrisse, it costs more than $6.00 in Target, pennies less in Wal-Mart, and with coupons, it used to cost less than $4.00 in Brooks. Now that Brooks is out, when on sale, it costs less than $5.00 in Rite Aid.

Target sells some more upscale cosmetics and the prices are the same as in department stores, even though they do not have anybody helping you. They do have sales sometimes, though.

One more thing when comparing shops is location. Not all Walmarts have the same prices; the prices change by location, and I think the same is true for Target. So my information may not be accurate in all places. If you want to save more you may want to buy in a Wal-Mart in a poorer area.

The International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference

Next to the IBS there is a spa trade show (see previous post). This is relatively a new show,but it has been growing every year. Just like in the IBS we saw more natural products meaning products without potentially harmful ingredients such as parabens preservatives, sulfates and others.

We also saw more equipment for anti aging treatments, cellulite and others. The equipment available to spas seems to be becoming more and more sophisticated.

IBS in New York

Last Sunday I spent my time attending the International Beauty Show in NYC (IBS). This is a trade show that takes place every year in the City. It used to be The Show in the hairdressing sector, but last year it was a total disappointment. Fortunately that was not the case this year; the show was good, and it had a lot of interesting exhibitors. These are some of my notes on
trends in the beauty salons industry:

Nails with art
Nail art is very popular around the world, but in the United States it has not been well received. Perhaps we are very practical people and to deal with fussy nails is not our style. Things seem to be changing, though; a lot of companies are creating more paints and innovative designs -- we saw a lot of them in the show.

More hair extensions

More "natural products"
This means products without parabens, sulfates and other potentially harmful ingredients.

More knives to cut hair
Nick Arrojo, the hairdresser on the TV program "What not to wear" gave a presentation on his signature razor cuts. We saw other presentations from vendors doing haircuts with razors. The haircuts with razors are more popular in England than in the US. These haircuts are more precise and give more volume to the hair. I personally do not like these haircuts on me, because they require more frequent maintenance.

Keratin hair treatments
These originally Brazilian treatments to restore the hair or to straighten it seem to be becoming more common. There were many products using keratin as a main ingredients. Keratin is a hair protein.

Many salons are already offering these services and the results are great. However many salons are also presenting the Brazilian hair straightening as a keratin service when in reality the main ingredient is a high amount of formaldehyde that can be hazardous to health.

Hello Kitty bath bombs

I love Hello Kitty and I learned to love her more while I lived in Tokyo. In Tokyo there are tons of products with this character. One cute product launched a few years ago for limited time is back: Hello Kitty kigurimi bath soaps.

I am calling them bath bombs because they resemble our bath bombs (the balls that we put in the bath and dissolve to create bubbles), but these ones are soap. Once the soap is dissolved, a toy contained in the center of the ball is revealed. The toy is Hello Kitty dressed as kigurimi (in English that means wearing a costume).

The soap smells of roses.